Strawberry plant named ‘Monterey’

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a new and distinctive day-neutral type of strawberry designated as ‘Monterey’. ‘Monterey’ is a day-neutral (everbearing) cultivar similar to ‘Diamante’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,079) but with higher yield and better quality fruit, better disease resistance and better flavor. It is similar to ‘Albion’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,228) for fruit quality but with higher yield, and larger fruit.

Genus and species: The strawberry cultivar of this invention is botanically identified as Fragaria×ananassa Duch.

Variety denomination: The variety denomination is ‘Monterey’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a new and distinctive day-neutral type cultivar designated as ‘Monterey’, which resulted from a cross performed in 2001 between the cultivar ‘Albion’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,228) and advanced selection Cal 97.85-6. ‘Monterey’ was first fruited at the University of California Wolfskill Experimental Orchard, near Winters, Calif. in 2002, where it was selected, originally designated Cal 1.132-3, and propagated asexually by runners. Following selection and during testing, the plant of this selection was designated ‘CN222’ and, later for introduction into commerce, ‘Monterey’. Asexual propagules from this original source have been tested at the Watsonville Strawberry Research Facility, the South Coast Research and Extension Center, and to a limited extent in grower fields starting in 2005.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

‘Monterey’ is a day-neutral (everbearing) cultivar similar to ‘Diamante’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,079) but with higher yield and better quality fruit, better disease resistance and better flavor; it is similar to ‘Albion’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,228) for fruit quality but with higher yield, and larger fruit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures depict various characteristics of the ‘Monterey’ cultivar.

FIG. 1 shows the general flowering and fruiting characteristics of the plant in a field planting.

FIG. 2 shows a typical leaf at mid-season.

FIG. 3 shows representative mid-season fruit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

‘Monterey’ is typical of day-neutral strawberry cultivars and produces fruit regardless of day length when treated appropriately in arid, subtropical climates. ‘Monterey’ is moderate to weak in expressing the day-neutral character, being comparable in flowering response to ‘Diamante’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,435) and ‘Albion’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,228), and less so than ‘Fern’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,267) or ‘Irvine’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,172). The production pattern for ‘Monterey’ is similar to that for ‘Albion’. ‘Monterey’ will be of special interest for winter plantings and in summer plantings where ‘Diamante’ and ‘Albion’ have been successful.

-   Plants and foliage: Fruiting plants of ‘Monterey’ are similar in     morphology to ‘Diamante’ and ‘Albion’ although much larger and more     erect. ‘Monterey’ plants are substantially more open and erect than     ‘Aromas’ plants. Comparative statistics for foliar characters near     mid-season are given for ‘Monterey’ and the three comparison     cultivars in Table 1. Individual leaflets for ‘Monterey’ are similar     in shape and size to the comparison cultivars, but are somewhat less     rounded. Leaves (including petioles) for ‘Monterey’ are longer than     those for the comparison cultivars, mostly due to greater petiole     length. Petioles are generally thicker than those of the comparison     cultivars and tend to have heavy pubescence. The adaxial (upper) and     abaxial (lower) surfaces of leaves for ‘Monterey’ are similar in     color to the comparison cultivars at mid season. Leaves of     ‘Monterey’ have consistently greater concavity than ‘Aromas’,     ‘Diamante’, and ‘Albion’. -   Disease and pest reaction: ‘Monterey’ is moderately susceptible to     powdery mildew (Sphaerotheca macularis), and is moderately resistant     to Anthracnose crown rot (Colletotrichum acutatum) and Verticillium     wilt (Verticillium dahliae). It is moderately susceptible to     Phytophthora crown rot (Phytophthora cactorum) and common leaf spot     (Ramularia tulasnei) (Table 3). When treated properly, it has     tolerance to two-spotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) equal to     that for the comparison cultivars. ‘Monterey’ is tolerant to     strawberry viruses encountered in California.

TABLE 1 Foliar and plant characteristics for ‘Monterey’, ‘Aromas’, ‘Diamante’, and ‘Albion’. Cultivar Foliar Character ‘Aromas’ ‘Diamante’ ‘Albion’ ‘Monterey’ Plant height (mm) mean 272 220 223 311 range 240-300 190-240 170-290 260-380 Plant spread (mm) mean 323 316 295 343 range 300-360 265-385 270-315 315-395 Mid-tier leaflet Length (mm) mean 79 78 70 78 range 70-90 60-90 60-80  70-100 Width (mm) mean 74 77 68 73 range 70-80 55-90 60-80  60-100 Mid-tier leaf Length (mm) mean 113 99 99 111 range 100-120  80-120  90-110 100-140 Width (mm) mean 135 134 122 140 range 120-150  90-150 105-135 120-150 Leaf components Petiole length (mm) mean 174 114 122 212 range 140-210 100-130  95-180 200-230 Petiole diameter (mm) mean 4.5 5.2 4.9 5.1 range 4-6 4-7 4-6 4-6 Petiolule length (mm) mean 6.6 5.2 6.7 7.4 range 4.3-7.5 4.0-7.6 5.0-8.0 7-8 # 3 3 3 3 leaflets/leaf Leaf some flat, some flat, some flat, Mostly convexity most slight most slight most slight concave concave concave concave Serrations number/leaf 19.9 20.2 23.3 21.4 range 16-24 16-24 21-27 19-24 shape rounded to rounded to semi-pointed semi-pointed semi-pointed semi-pointed Leaf moderate moderate- moderate heavy pubescence heavy Petiole Moderate- heavy heavy moderate- pubescence heavy heavy density direction perpen- perpen- perpen- perpendicular dicular dicular dicular Petiole color 5 GY 8/8 7.5 GY 9/4 5 GY 8/8 5 GY 8/8 (Munsell) Stipule length (mm) mean 34.2 31.6 32.5 34.7 range 30-39 22-36 24-37 31-38 Stipule color core 7.5 GY 8/7 7.5 GY 8/7 5 GY 8/7 5 GY 7/10 margins 2.5 GY 9/3 5 GY 6/8 5 GY 6/8 2.5 GY 7/10 Stolon base 3.0 3.2 3.0 3.0 diameter (mm) Stolons per 33.0 29.0 26.9 28.6 nursery mother plant Venation pinnate pinnate pinnate pinnate pattern color 2.5 GY 5/5 10 GY 5/5 2.5 GY 6/8 10 Y 7/9

-   Flowering, fruiting, fruit, and production characteristics:     ‘Monterey’ is similar to other California day-neutral cultivars     (e.g. ‘Diamante’ and ‘Albion’) in that it will flower independently     of day length, given appropriate temperature and horticultural     conditions. Comparative statistics for flower and fruit characters     near mid-season are given for ‘Monterey’ and the three comparison     cultivars in Table 4. The primary flowers for ‘Monterey’ are similar     in size to the comparison cultivars with a calyx that is distinctly     larger than the corolla on primary fruit. The sepals are similar in     length and shape to those of the comparison cultivars, but are     smaller relative to the corolla than for ‘Albion’. The calyx for     ‘Monterey’ varies in position but is usually more reflexed than for     ‘Aromas’ or ‘Diamante’, similar to ‘Albion’. The fruit shape for     ‘Monterey’ can vary but is typically a short and either symmetrical     or slightly flattened conic. It is easily distinguished by fruit     shape from ‘Aromas’ (shortened and rounded conic), ‘Diamante’     (usually a flat conic) or ‘Albion’ (long conic). ‘Monterey’ usually     has a greater proportion of symmetrical fruit than the comparison     cultivars. External fruit color for ‘Monterey’ is similar to     ‘Aromas’ or ‘Albion’, but distinctly darker than for ‘Diamante’.     Internal color is somewhat darker with greater red pigment than for     the comparison cultivars (Table 2). Achenes vary from yellow to dark     red, but are frequently more yellow than the comparison cultivars,     and are even with the fruit surface or slightly indented.

‘Monterey’ has been tested under a variety of cultural regimes, and optimal performance is obtained when nursery treatments and nutritional programs similar to those for ‘Albion’, ‘Diamante’, and ‘Aromas’ are used. In general, ‘Monterey’ is more vigorous than the comparison cultivars and is less sensitive to low chilling. ‘Monterey’ retains excellent fruit quality in summer planting systems.

When treated with appropriate planting regimes, ‘Monterey’ has larger fruit and produces greater individual-plant yield than any of the comparison cultivars (Table 5). ‘Monterey’ has a similar production pattern to ‘Albion’ with most cultural treatments, although it is substantially more adapted to early-season winter planting. Commercial appearance ratings have been similar to or better than those for all of the comparison cultivars, especially ‘Aromas’. These superior appearance scores translate directly into a larger fraction of marketable fruit than is produced by the comparison cultivars. Fruit for ‘Monterey’ is substantially firmer than fruit from ‘Aromas’, similar in firmness to the other comparison cultivars. Subjectively, ‘Monterey’ has outstanding flavor with a distinct sweet aftertaste. The fruit will be exceptional for both fresh market and processing, and will be useful for home garden purposes.

TABLE 2 Foliar and fruit color characteristics for ‘Monterey’ and three comparison cultivars. Cultivar Color Character ‘Aromas’ ‘Diamante’ ‘Albion’ ‘Monterey’ Leaf color (CIELAB) Adaxial L* mean 35.1 34.8 34.7 35.4 range 32.7-37.7 32.6-36.8 32.8-36.7 31.3-37.3 a* mean −10.6 −10.4 −9.8 −11.0 range  −8.2-−14.0  −8.7-−11.9  −9.4-−11.3  −9.5-−12.2 b* mean 13.8 13.8 12.8 14.5 range 11.2-18.1 12.2-16.6 10.7-15.6 12.6-16.3 Munsell 7.5 GY 4/4 5 GY 4/3 5 GY 4/3 5 GY 4/3 Abaxial L* mean 52.4 51.1 50.6 49.2 range 50.6-54.1 49.7-52.2 43.7-53.1 46.7-52.4 a* mean −11.6 −12.8 −12.4 −12.6 range −10.7-−13.6 −11.6-−14.9  −8.6-−11.4 −11.8-−13.2 b* mean 17.3 19.5 17.2 18.4 range 14.3-23.2 15.3-23.5 14.5-19.6 16.4-21.8 Munsell 10 GY 7/8 7.5 GY 6/8 7.5 GY 8/7 5 GY 5/6 Fruit color (CIELAB) External L* mean 34.2 40.8 36.5 35.0 range 31.2-38.3 35.5-45.4 32.8-40.1 32.0-38.4 a* mean 33.9 36.7 33.3 36.1 range 31.5-38.6 35.6-40.2 28.3-36.2 32.2-40.2 b* mean 14.1 21.2 17.6 16.3 range  9.1-16.5 18.8-25.7 12.2-24.9 13.3-19.5 Munsell 2.5 R 4/10 5 R 5/13 5 R 3/7 5 R 3/7 Internal L* mean 61.6 65.6 57.9 48.8 range 59.5-67.7 58.8-67.2 43.3-62.9 30.6-56.0 a* mean 14.7 5.6 19.0 31.7 range  7.6-19.2 3.0-9.5  7.9-27.7 26.3-36.8 b* mean 20.2 15.8 21.0 28.4 range 16.1-22.5 14.5-18.2 13.2-27.2 24.1-33.0 Munsell 5 R 6/11 10 R 7/9 7.5 R 4/11 7.5 R 6/12 Achene color 7.5 R 4/11 7.5 R 4/11 10 R 5/6 7.5 Y 7/9 Munsell *CIELAB is the abbreviation of the international color system known as “Commission Internationale De L'Eclairage” 1978. For recommendations concerning uniform color spaces, color difference equations, and psychometric color terms, see Supplement No. 2 of CIE Publication No. 15, Paris.

TABLE 3 Disease resistance scores for ‘Monterey’ and three comparison cultivars; Phytophthora and Verticillium scores were obtained in evaluations conducted in 2004-2006, Colletotrichum was evaluated in 2005-2006. Phytophthora Verticillium Colletotrichum Resistance Score Resistance Score Resistance Score Genotype (5 = best) (5 = best) (5 = best ‘Aromas’ 4.0 4.5 2.4 ‘Diamante’ 2.0 2.8 2.6 ‘Albion’ 4.3 3.8 3.1 ‘Monterey’ 3.2 3.4 2.6

TABLE 4 Flower and fruit characters for ‘Monterey’ and three comparison cultivars. Cultivar Character ‘Aromas’ ‘Diamante’ ‘Albion’ ‘Monterey’ Petal number mean 5.5 5.4 5.6 6.5 range 5-7 5-6 5-7 5-7 Petal shape apex truncate to truncate to truncate to truncate to slightly slightly slightly slightly obtuse obtuse obtuse obtuse base attenuate attenuate attenuate attenuate margin entire entire entire entire Petal length (mm) mean 10.1 9.2 9.6 10.7 range  8-11  7-13  8-11  9-13 Petal width (mm) mean 11.8 10.6 9.0 11.3 range 10-13 10-13  7-10 10-13 Flower most even most even most most position some some exposed, exposed, (relative to exposed internal and some even some even foliage) exposed Calyx diam.(mm) mean 31.3 32.0 37.5 33.2 range 28-33 25-41 31-48 29-40 Corolla diam.(mm) mean 31.2 23.9 27.8 32.9 range 26-35 18-31 23-33 25-41 Sepal length (mm) mean 12.3 12.1 14.1 11.1 range  8-15 10-15 11-18 10-12 Sepal width (mm) mean 6.4 6.7 6.6 6.8 range 3-9 5-9  4-10 5-8 Sepal color 7.5 GY 6/8 5 GY 5/6 2.5 GY 6/8 5 GY 6/8 (Munsell) Pedicel length (mm) mean 172 140 218 246 range 112-230 110-165 180-270 190-270 Pedicel diameter (mm) mean 4.4 5.3 3.1 3.0 range 4-6 4-6 2-4 2-4 Pedicel color 5 GY 6/8 5 GY 7/10 5 GY 6/8 5 GY 7/10 Fruit shape Fruit length (mm) mean 46.6 46.4 61.7 57.2 range 42-52 39-50 50-76 50-62 Fruit width (mm) mean 39.4 40.7 46.6 47.9 range 37-43 38-46 37-52 42-55 Length/width ratio 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.2 range 1.0-1.4 1.0-1.2 1.2-1.5 1.1-1.3 subjective mostly rounded to most long medium medium to flat conic symmetrical conic short flat conic conic Primary/ secondary fruit comparison size   60-80%   60-80%   60-70%   60-80% (subjective) shape similar shape similar shape similar shape similar shape Extent/size small-absent small-absent small- small-absent of medium hollow core Calyx position indented- even- even- even-reflexed even with indented reflexed neck size relative equal or equal or equal or equal or to fruit greater than greater than greater than greater than fruit fruit fruit fruit diameter diameter diameter diameter Seed indented- indented- indented- even- position extruded even extruded indented Adherence intermediate intermediate intermediate intermediate of Calyx to Fruit

Flower measurements and fruit measurements obtained May 9-Jun. 6, 2006. Subjective observations obtained Jul. 31, 2006.

TABLE 5 Performance ‘Monterey’ and three comparison cultivars evaluated at the Watsonville Research Facility in 2005-7. All plants for these trials were harvested from a commercial nursery near Macdoel, CA on October 15-16, and transplanted after 18-21 days supplemental storage. Fruit harvest was initiated in early April and continued through the first week of October. (52″ 2-row beds, 17,300 plants/acre). Appearance Fruit Yield Score Size Item (g/plant) (5 = best) (g/fruit) Firmness ‘Aromas’ 3,108 3.1 27.0 9.6 ‘Diamante’ 2,653 3.5 31.2 11.0 ‘Albion’ 2,461 3.9 30.5 11.1 ‘Monterey’ 3,301 3.4 32.4 11.1 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of strawberry plant having the characteristics substantially as described and illustrated herein. 